Further to Noel Laidlaw's post in regards to the closure of the Toolamba-Echuca Railway Line, I have attached some pictures to provide members a clearer picture of its current condition. These are in and around Kyabram, specific location details are in the photo descriptions. ...

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**The V/Line Saga**

**The 5:41 am from Eaglehawk via Bendigo stopping Castlemaine, Gisborne, Footscray and Southern Cross at 7:19am (Please disregard V/line's arrival time as after 6 months on this service it has never arrived on time.)**

I would like to know who the signalling numb nut is that keeps putting the 5.41am from Bendigo into Platform

8 South that then necessitates 50% of the passengers having to walk back up Platform 8A and 8B to the western end of Southern Cross to attempt to meet their Metro connections to get to work.

V/line has played platform roulette with this service, it used to arrive at platform 16 and has since arrived at platform 2, 3 and 8 South.

This piece of signalling is extraordinary as the 5:41am has to wait on the fly over to get a clear passage to platform 8 South by a most circuitous journey across various turn outs and track to the point where V/Line should advertise it as a tourist rail trip.

Consequently, 5:41am rarely arrives on time thanks to the creative signalling at the Southern Cross.

**The 5:41am from Bendigo Saga Continues**

On Monday, 6 January 5:41 am service from Bendigo to Melbourne was cancelled because a driver did not turn up.

Consequently, the service was replaced with the usual mind numbing V/Line's only Plan B with the ubiquitous Road Coach even though the Velocity for the 6.04 am was sitting in platform 1 with all its lights on and engines operating.

There was no express Road Coach to Melbourne and the 5:41am only stops at Castlemaine, Gisborne , Footscray and regularly gets stuck behind a Metro after Watergardens.

The writer not wanting to fall for the old V/line only Plan B trick, decided to stay at Bendigo have a coffee , read their book and patiently wait for the 6:04 am from Epsom via Bendigo to Southern Cross and stopping all stations.

Mean while, the passengers from the 5:41am were experiencing the cramped conditions on the Road Coaches and having to endure V/Line's Plan B and the scenic tourist route the Road Coaches took.

Back at Bendigo, the writer finished their coffee and packed away the book and boarded the 6:04am service stopping all stations to Southern Cross, which by the miracles of miracles (Scott Morrison was not involved) arrived on time into a decent accessible platform and disembarked as the 5:41 am V/Line Plan B Road Coaches arrived at Southern Cross.

One simple question needs to be answered , why was not the 6:04 am while it was sitting in Platform 1 be converted to the 5:41am and then all the following services then cascade into the next service, this would stop the V/line Plan B having to be initiated?

The answer: V/Line suffers a constant lack of Critical and Strategic Thinking for effective operational problem solving.

The most grating aspect about the inconvenience of these two episodes, is that the Andrews Government increased the cost of the fares for a completely inadequate and sub standard level of service, which in actual fact is a direct reflection on the standards that the Andrews Government seems to aspire to. ...

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